Railroad ditcher



July 3, 1923. 1,460,762

J. J. MILLER RAILROAD DITCHER Filed Nov. 21, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 l a if mu I 1 I O July 3, 1923. 1,460,762

J. J. MILLER RAILROAD DITCHEH Filed Nov. 21, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 gnoe'n H01 JZ/VZZZeI;

" Jul; 3, 1923. 1,460,762

J. J. MILLER RAILROAD DITCHBR Filed Nov. 21 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 3114mm fox July 3, 1923.

J. J. MILLER RAILROAD DITCHER Filed Nov. 21, 1922 5 Sheets$heet 4 gnucnioz JM'ZZBI July 3, 1923. 1,460,762

J. J. MILLER RAILROAD DITCHER Filed Nov. 21, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Gtlonmqa Patented July 3, 1923.

UNITED STATES JEROME J. MILLER, OF CHADRON, NEBRASKA.

RAILROAD DITCHER.

Application filed November 21, 1922. Serial No. 602,445.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEROME J. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residin at Chadron, in the county of Dawes and tate of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Railroad Ditcher, of which the following is a specification.

This invention aims to provide a simple means for digging ditches on both sides of a railroad track simultaneously, elevating the dirt loosened, depositing the dirt on a string of cars, and plowing the dirt off the cars.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings: 7

Figure 1 shows in end elevation, a device constructed in accordance with the invention, the car appearing in cross section; Figure 2 is a side elevation wherein parts are broken away; Figure 3 is a top plan; Figure 4 is a. section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2. Figure 5 is a section showing the conveyors elevated into an inoperative position.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided a plurality of cars 1 having wheels 2 adapted to traverse the rails of a railroad track 3, each car including a bottom 4 and sides 5, the sides 5 being hlngedly mounted, as indicated at 6, at their upper ends, so that the sides can swing outwardly, the sides being held in closed position by latches 7.

The numeral 8 marks, generally, a tractor, adapted to move along the car 1. The tractor 8 includes a body 9 wherein axles 10 are journaled, the axle carrying sprocket wheels 11 whereon are mounted caterpillar chains 12 adapted to cooperate with the bottom 4 of the car 1. The body 9 of the tractor 8 carries an engine 14, and suitable means 15 is provided, whereby, at the will of an operator, the engine 14 may be coupled to the axles 10, thereby to cause the tractor 8 to move along the car 1. or from car to car.

The tractor embodies an upstanding frame 16 which, as shown in Figure 2 extends to the rear of the body 9 of the tractor. A plow 17 is pivoted at 18 to the frame 16 for vertical swinging movement. One end of a flexible element 19 is connected to the plow 17, the flexible element being trained across idlers 2O journaled on the upper portion of the frame 16, and being extended, downwardly at one end, about a drum 21, l0ose on a shaft 22, a clutch 23 constituting means for coupling the drum to the shaft, at the will of an operator, the shaft being journale'd on the upper portion of the frame 16. A sprocket chain 24 forms an operative connection between the shaft 22 and the shaft of the engine 14.

A frame 16 includes outwardly extended arms 25 wherein shafts 26 are journaled. The depending outer hangers 27 of auxiliary frames are pivotally mounted on the shafts 26. At the lower end of each pair of hangers 27, a rotatable member 28 is journaled. Each shaft 26 carries a rotatable member 29. About the rotatable members 28 and 29 are 'trained vertical endless digging conveyors 30 provided with cleats 31. The cleats 31 may be made in any desired way, and will be constructed to work properly upon the soil which is to be handled. There are antifriction elements 32, such as rollers. on the outer hangers 27, and with the rollers, the inner runs of the endless digging conveyors 3O cooperate.

Shafts 33 are mounted on the arms 25. Depending inner hangers 34 are mounted at 273 for swinging movement on brackets 274 carried by the outer hangers 27. Retractile springs 35 connect the hangers 34 and 27 adjacent to the lower end of the hangers. Shafts 36 are journaled in the lower end of the inner hangers 34. The frame 16 has outwardly extended arms 38 carrying curved shoes 39, the shoes 39 being disposed in approximately vertical position. Supports 40 are disposed transversely of the inner hangers 34 at the lower ends thereof, and project inwardly or rearwardly from the said hangers. The supports 40 carry rollers 41. There are elongated slots 42 in the supports 40. Through the slots 42 of the supports 40 pass clamping bolts 43 engaging the inner han are 34. Braces 44 extend transversely of t e supports 40 and have elongated slots 45. Clamping bolts 46 are located in the slots of the braces 44 and in the slots 42 of the supports crat ed by the sprocket wheels 11.

4o. 'The,bra,oes.lc4 are pivqtqd'at their lower ends as indicated at 70 to the inner hangers 34, near to the lower ends of the said hangers. Vertically spagqdgqllers fi ape jour naled on the inner hangers 34. Endless digging conveyors 48 are provided,.a.nd' include cleats 49 as hereinbefore explained in connertion with the cleats 31 on't-he digging conveyors 30. The conveyors 48 include a separable connection 275. The conveyors 48 are looped around the shafts 36 at the lower ends of the hangers- 34 and about the rollers ll on the inner ends of the supports 40. 'From the rollers4l on the hangers 34 the conveyors 48 extend upwardly along the rollers-47 on the said hangers, the conveyors being extended across the shafts '33 and being continued horizontally. The conveyors are looped about the shafts 37 from the shafts -33the lower runs of the conveyors=48 extend first outwardly, and then downwardly about the shoes-39 to the rollers 41 on the supports 40.

'(lcar wheels-50 are mounted on theshafts 37. A pinion 51 is secured to the shaft 22, and a. pinion 2 is secured. to a. stub shaft 53 on the frame 16. The pinions,51 and 52 intcrmesh. One of the gear wheels meshes with the pinion 51 and the other of the gear wheels 50 meshes with the pinion 52. A sprocket wheel 54 is connected to the pinion 52, to rotate therewith. A sprocket wheel is connected to the pinion 51 to rotate therewith. About the sprocket wheels 54 and 55 are trained outwardly extended sprocket chains 56 engaged with sprocket wheels 57 on thc shafts 26.

Drums 8 are looscly nounted on the shaft 22 adjacent to therear .end thereof. The drums 58 are adapted to be connected to the shaft 22 through the instrumentality of a. clutch 59. Flexible elements (30 are trained about the drums 5 and are extended ontwardly and downwardly about idlcrsGl carried bythe outer ends of the arms 250i the frame 16, ,as shown in Figure l. The lower ends of the flexible elements 60 a re connected to the outer hangers 29.

Beams 62 project forwardly from the outer hangers 27am] early plows 63and 54, so constructed that they will throw furrows in oppositedirections. Rotatable diggers 65 are'journaled on the'heams 62 and are'located in advance of theplowsti? and-64.

In practical operation, the engine 14 ofthe tractor 8.is operatirely connected by means of-the mechanism indicated at 15, with the axles lfi t hc caterpillar chains 12 being 0p- 7 Thereupon, the tractor w ll move over the string of cars l the tractor advances, the earth usfirst loosened up by the rotatable diggers 65 and, then the furrows are turnedjn opposite directiqns by the plows 6.4 and 63. The earth thus loosened is engaged by the inner runs of the endless ctiggingconveyors 30 and -48, and is carried upward y, the-hangers 34 and 27 being held together by the springs 35,

,so as to -retain the; dirt, rocks and the like.

ened, thereby permitting a shifting of the position of-the. supports 40 and, consequent- 1y, an alteration in the position of the rollers 41 which are journale'd on the lower ends of the supports. In this way, the angle between thelower part o'f-each conveyor 48 may'-be varied with respect to the horizontal, thereby ,to change the batter of the inner wall of the ditch, an'observat-ion which-will be understood readily when Figure 1 of thcd-rawings is examined.

The clutch23 maybe operated in such a way as to permit the flexible element 19-to run off the drum '22, the plow 17 swinging downwardly from the position shown in Figurej2. If, then, the tractor 8 be caused to move to the right, in Figure 2, the plow 1'? will scrape thedirt off the cars, the cars, of course, having been moved to the place where the dirt is to be dumped. Theplow l7,carries thedirt laterally, and the sides 5 of the car swing outwardly, to permit an outward movement ofthedirt. The space between the ends of adjoining carsmay be covered by suitable bridges so that the'tractor. 8 may pass readilyfrom car to car.

From the shaft 22, motion is transmitted by the pinion 51 to'the pinion 52, the pinion S1 driving thegear wheel 50, and the pinion 52 driving the other gear wheel 50. The gear wheels ,50 actuate the shafts 37 and the shafts37 in turn, actuate the endless digging conveyors 48. The sprocket wheels 55 and,54, which are connected, res ectively, to the pinions 51 and 52, actuate-t e chains 56, and the chains 56, reacting with 'the shafts 26 drive the digging conveyors '30.

What is claimed is 1- 1. In a device of the class described, a car; a tractor movable along'the car; depending digging conveyors carried by the tractor andlocated on opposite sides of'the car. the conveyors dischargingon the car; and a low carried on one end of the tractor and arliipted to. traverse the car.

2. ,In a device of the class described, a car; a tractor movable along the can; depending digging conveyors carried by the tractor and located on opposite sides of the .car, the conveyors discharging on the car;

a plow pivoted to one end of the tractor and adapted to traverse the car; and means for raising and lowering the plow.

3. In a device of the class described, a car; a tractor movable along the car; depending digging conveyors carried by the tractor, pivotally, and located on opposite sides of the car, the conveyors discharging on the car; means for moving the conveyors inwardly and outwardly with respect to the car; and a plow carried by one end of the tractor and traversing the car.

4. In a device of the class described, a car; a tractor movable along the car; depending digging conveyors carried by the tractor, pivotally, and located on opposite sides of the car, the conveyors discharging on the car; means for moving the conveyors transversely of the car; a plow pivoted to the tractor and traversing the car; and means for raising and lowering the plow.

5. In a device of the class described, a car; a tractor movable along the car; a pair of depending digging conveyors mounted pivotally on the tractor and located at one side of the car, one of the conveyors discharging on the car; spring means for drawing the conveyors together, whereby the inner runs of the conveyors will elevate the material loosened by the conveyors; and means for driving the conveyors.

6. In a device of the class described, a car; a tractor movable along the car; depending digging conveyors pivotally mounted on the tractor and located at one side of the car, one of the conveyors discharging on the car; and adjustable means for varying the angle defined by the lower portion of one conveyor with respect to the horizontal, thereby to var the batter of one wall of the ditch whic is dug by the conveyors.

7. In a device of the class described, a car; a tractor movable along the car; depending hangers pivotally assembled with the tractor and located at one side of the car; cooperating digging conveyors carried by the hangers, one of the conveyors discharging on the car; a plow supported by one of the hangers and located in advance of the conveyors; and a rotary earth loosening member supported from the said hanger and located in advance of the plow.

8. In a device of the class described, a. car; a tractor movable along the car; depending hangers pivoted to the tractor; first digging conveyors supported on the hangers, one of the conveyors discharging on the car; spring means for connecting the hangers, to cause the inner runs of the conveyors to elevate the material; a plow located in advance of the conveyors and supported from one of the hangers; and a rotary earth loosening member supported from the said hanger and located in advance of the plow.

9. In a device of the class described, a car; a tractor movable along the car; depending hangers pivotally supported from the tractor and located at one side of the car; endless digging conveyors supported on the hangers, one of the conveyors discharging on the car; and plows located one in advance of the other, both of the plows being located in advance of the conveyors, and the plows being so constructed as to turn furrows in opposite directions.

10. In a device of the class described, a car; a tractor movable along the car; depending hangers pivotally supported on the tractor and located at one side of the car; endless conveyors traversing the hangers, one of the hangers discharging on the car; means for connectin V the hangers yieldably; means for moving t e hangers transversely of the car; a plow assembled with one of the tractors and located in advance of the conveyors; a plow pivotally mounted on one end of the tractor and adapted to traverse the car; and means for raising and lowering the last specified plow.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JEROME J. MILLER.

Witnesses:

Cmnnns H. WnsoN, FRANK CALDWELL. 

